


Cold Hands, Broken Heart

by sksdwrld



Series: Comment_Fic and Drabble-prompt fills [38]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 02:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1966344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksdwrld/pseuds/sksdwrld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is forced to say goodbye</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Hands, Broken Heart

At first, Merlin thought the blood was the worst part of it all. There was so much of it and it came out so fast. He tried to bind it with strips of Arthur's cape, but it seeped through and Arthur complained that the bindings were uncomfortable.

"It's no use, Merlin, I'm dying."

Merlin didn't want to believe it, refused to accept it, because Arthur Pendragon was not the sort of man to say die. But as the day turned into dusk and the dusk gave way to night, Merlin had no choice but to acknowledge the likely truth.

"Hold on, Arthur, hold on! I'll think of something!" But the night slipped by, hour by futile hour, finally bleeding into the dawn. Now, Merlin only sat dejectedly by Arthur's side, clinging to his hand and uttering what he only hoped were soothing sounds and words of comfort.

When the blood slowed it's copious flow to a mere trickle and Arthur's breaths grew shallow and fast, Merlin realized that this was far worse. He grunted and panted, whined in pain and discomfort, and Merlin cursed himself for wishing Arthur would hold on a little bit longer. It was selfish and cruel because Arthur seemed in such pain but Merlin wasn't ready yet to say goodbye.

It seemed that Merlin would have no choice though. Before the sun had fully lit the morning sky, Arthur's breaths became stilted and irregular. Still, he clung to Arthur, pressing a kiss to those full but pale lips before confessing all his secrets. Arthur's chest rattled as he sucked in a deep breath.

"Arthur, I love you! I've always loved you, and I always will!"

Arthur's eyes widened and his lips parted as if to speak and Merlin held his own breath until he could no longer. Arthur never exhaled, and the realization of that small but important detail struck Merlin like a barbed lash. 

The sun was high in the sky and Merlin was still intermittently sobbing, his hands clutching Arthur's. The heat of the day and Merlin's clutch kept Arthur's hands warm but as the sun went down, the last traces were quickly fleeting. Merlin was almost completely numb from the evening chill himself by the time he realized that Arthur's hands were cold.

In horror, he tore himself away from the royal corpse, regal even in death and scrambled up the embankment. For the first time in his life, he realized what it was to be truly alone and to have the burden of responsibility weighing not on his shoulders, but his soul.


End file.
